Last fugitive of Xinjiang attack captured in China

Beijing: Stepping up security in the ethnically-divided Xinjiang province, Chinese police on Sunday said they arrested the "only rioter at large" after a series of violent clashes killed at least 35 people. "Police in northwest China`s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Sunday captured the only rioter at large after a violent terrorist attack", state-run Xinhua news agency said. Reports said China poured security forces for rounf-the-clock security to prevent riots from spreading in the troubled region. Yu Zhengsheng, member of the influential Standing Committee of ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) who visited the province, said China will strike hard on violent terrorist attacks according to law and maintain social stability in Xinjiang which was hit by violent terrorist attacks in the past few days. Yu, leading a work team, arrived in provincial capital Urumqi yesterday after President Xi Jinping presided over a meeting of the Standing Committee the highest policy body of the country and reviewed security measures. China will impose severe punishment on those taking part in violent crimes, Yu said a meeting attended by officials from across Xinjiang. "We will step up actions to crack down upon terrorist groups and extremist organizations and track the wanted," Yu said. Muslim ethnic Uygurs oppose the expanding settlements of the majority mainland Han Chinese in parts of Xinjiang. Xinjiang has achieved sound economic development in recent years, but separatists in and outside the country have been escalating their efforts and those deep-seated problems challenging Xinjiang`s social stability have not been completely solved, Yu said. A few criminals have continuously masterminded and conducted violent terrorist attacks, causing serious losses to the lives and properties of the public, he said, slamming the attacks as "key threats to national unity and social stability in Xinjiang." Safety precautions must be taken, especially for key areas and institutions, he said, calling for efforts to mobilise the public and CPC members. He also said authoritative information on the attacks should be released in a timely manner, and efforts must be taken to promote China`s ethnic and religious policies as well as laws and regulations. Also at the meeting, Meng Jianzhu, secretary of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, made detailed anti-terror arrangements in Xinjiang. Meng said the recent violent terrorist attacks have revealed the anti-human nature of the terrorists, who are the common enemy of all ethnic groups. Law enforcement agencies should severely crack down on violent terrorist activities, with precautionary and preemptive measures, to guarantee social stability in Xinjiang, Meng said. There are no detailed reports yet of what happened in Xinjiang which has been witnessing periodic but heavy violence since 2009 riots between native Uygur Muslims and ethnic Chinese Han settlers from mainland. China blames East Turkistan Islamic Movement, (ETIM), stated to be an arm of AlQeda for carrying out separatist attacks in the province bordering Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, (PoK) and Afghanistan. The recent violent terror attacks brought severe harm to life and property of local people and social stability in Xinjiang, Meng said, calling on the armed police forces to resolutely implement the CPC decision to give a hard strike on criminals. Meanwhile a commentary by Xinhua said rioting mob attempted to use the bloodshed to create social panic and stir up unrest. "This is an overt provocation to the security of people`s lives and the country`s unity, which should be severely cracked down on with decisive measures since terrorism is the enemy of mankind," it said. Rioters in Lukqun Township in Shanshan County in Xinjiang`s Turpan Prefecture attacked civilian shops, police stations, government buildings and even a construction site. The dead including people from both Uygur and Han ethnic groups, it said. The mobsters did not target any particular ethnic group or religion and their behaviour was a kind of organised violence with typical characteristics of terrorism. Such an offence lacks basic respect to human lives and deserves no sympathy or tolerance, it said. "The atrocity was not a consequence of ethnic disputes or religious disagreements in Xinjiang. Rather, it was committed with the intention to disrupt social stability and sabotage interests of the whole Chinese nation," it said. "Terrorist organisations should be aware that the Chinese nation and its people are determined to safeguard the country`s territorial integrity and national unity against all enemies. Any attempt to sabotage will eventually fail," it said. PTI